Post office · Bengal Presidency
Cherapunjee
- Handstamps
- 2
- Recorded
- 1845–1855
- Rare
- 1
Cherrapunji, also known as Sohra, is a sub-divisional town in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, famed as one of the wettest places on earth.
Cherapunjee has 2 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1845–1855 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Cherapunjee handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Frequently asked — Cherapunjee postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Cherapunjee?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Cherapunjee are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Cherapunjee post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Cherapunjee was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 2 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1845 and 1855.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Cherapunjee?
- 2 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Cherapunjee in this census, of which 1 is graded rare or better. Each mark carries its Hammond Giles catalogue figure number, colour, date range, evidence-based rarity grade, and links to every surviving cover recorded with it.
- What is Cherapunjee called today?
- Cherapunjee is the colonial-era name of present-day Cherrapunji, India. The office also appears in postal history literature and auction catalogues as Sohra. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Cherapunjee postmark or cover?
- Compare your cover against the reference impressions on this page — each figure shows the mark's design, ink colour and recorded date range. If your Cherapunjee cover bears a mark that matches a figure, open that figure's page to see every recorded example with provenance. If it matches none, it may be unrecorded: submit photographs through the form on this page and the editors will review it for inclusion in the census.
Also searched as: Cherapunjee, Cherrapunji, Sohra, Cherapunjee HG 1, Cherapunjee handstruck stamps, Cherapunjee pre stamp covers, Cherapunjee postal history.
How to cite
“Cherapunjee, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/cherapunjee (accessed 10 August 2026).
Updated: 10 Aug 2026
An unrecorded mark from Cherapunjee?
If you hold a cover or strike from Cherapunjee that does not match any figure above, submit it below. Approved additions appear here as new entries in the census — every submission is reviewed first.
Same presidency
Other post offices in the Bengal Presidency
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Bengal Presidency post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.